Hopper outlet construction



y 1, 1963 c. J. KORANDA EFAL 3,090,519

HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 29, 1960 INVENTORS. darezzce J/zarazzdcz 5y Wdzzflz E W I r P United States Patent 3,090,519 HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION Clarence J. Koranda, Western Springs, and William E.

Fritz, Hinsdale, Ill., assignors to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 11,648 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-46) This invention relates, generally, to conveying apparatus and it has particular relation to such apparatus for use with vehicles, such as trucks and railway cars, provided with one or more hoppers at the bottom from which finely divided lading is to be removed by pneumatic means. This application discloses an invention which is an improvement over the invention disclosed in application Serial No. 723,329, filed March 24, 1958, and assigned to the assignee of this application, now Patent No. 2,950,- 143, issued August 23, 1960.

Among the objects of this invention are: To provide improved means including a vacuum chamber for pneumatically removing finely divided lading from a hopper or like receptacle filled therewith; to provide improved means for closing the outer end of an outlet conduit connected to the vacuum chamber; to provide a bail and cam arrangement for holding the cap that closes the outlet conduit in closed position; and to mount the bail for ro tation about an axis inclined to the horizontal to correspondingly limit the extent that the bail can swing downwardly in unlocked position.

Other objects of this invention will, in part, be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.

This invention is disclosed in the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and it comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter disclosed and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of this invention reference can be had to the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing the details of construction of an outlet conduit from a vacuum chamber and a closure cap therefor;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the construction shown in FIGURE 1 and in addition showing how a bail and latch construction is applied for detachably holding the closure in the closed position on the outlet conduit; and

FIGURE 3 is a view, in end elevation, of the construction shown in FIGURE 2.

The drawings show an outlet conduit 64 that extends from a closure sheet forming a part of a hopper construction and open into a vacuum chamber therein from which lading is withdrawn by application of suction to the outer end of the conduit 64. Surrounding the left end of the outlet conduit 64 and spaced slightly from the extreme left end is an annular flange 65 which may be welded to the outlet conduit and also to the closure sheet. Where the outlet conduit is initially assembled with the closure sheet, the annular flange 65 can be omitted and the outlet conduit welded directly to the closure sheet.

The right end of the outlet conduit 64 forms a cylindrical nozzle portion 66 for receiving a flexible hose (not shown) which forms a part of a pneumatic exhaust system. The nozzle portion 66 is preferably completely enclosed in order to avoid contamination by extraneous material. Accordingly, a radial flange 67 is provided intermediate the ends of the outlet conduit 64 and well 3,090,519 Patented May 21, 1963 'ice spaced from the right end of the nozzle portion 66. On the right side of the radial flange 67 there is a resilient gasket 68, preferably of gum rubber, against which an outlet closure cap 69 can bear in sealed relation. In order to engage the resilient gasket 68 intermediate its outer and inner surfaces spaced elongated indentations 70 are formed in the closure cap 69. For example, three such indentations 70 can be formed. The open annular end portion 71 of the closure cap 69 then is so positioned that it engages the gum rubber gasket 68 as shown in FIGURE 2 and as described.

In order to prevent loss of the outlet closure cap 69 an eye 72 is secured to the outlet conduit 64 and another eye 73 is secured to the closure cap 69. Then a chain (not shown) interconnects the eyes 72 and 73 which is long enough to permit removal of the closure cap 69.

Any suitable means can be employed for holding the closure cap 69 in place on the outlet conduit 64. Preferably the clamp mechanism shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 is employed.

The construction shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawings is generally the same as that shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings and described hereinbefore. Accordingly, the same reference characters have been applied where essentially the same parts are used. As pointed out hereinbefore, FIGURES 3 and 4 show the hood 36 to be of inverted V-shape for the purpose of minimizing the amount of lading left on the upper surface. At the ends of the hood 36, as shown in FIGURE 4, generally L-shaped gaskets 79 of gum rubber are provided for the purpose set forth hereinbefore with respect to the gasket 48.

In FIGURE 4 the inlet conduit 80 has the same diameter as the outlet conduit 64. Otherwise the construction of the means for introducing air other fluid into the vacuum chamber 35 is essentially the same as described for FIGURES 1 and 2. The arm 60 is located on the upper side of the inlet conduit 80 for receiving the sealing band.

In order to hold the closure cap 69 securely in place againct the gum rubber gasket 68 a bail, shown generally at 86, is used. It includes parallel arms 87 and 88 which extend along the sides of the outlet conduit 64. They are pivoted on radially extending pins 89 and 90. As shown in FIGURE 3, the pins 89 and 90 are located in such manner as to permit the bail 86 to swing downwardly only a limited extent. Accordingly, the pins 89 and 90 are located along a line which may be inclined at an angle of about 45 away from the horizontal. The arms 87 and 88 are interconnected by a connecting portion 91 which carries a transversely extending sleeve 92. at the ends of which a pair of cams 9393 are mounted. They are provided with registering key shaped openings 94 to receive a sealing pin (not shown). A pin 95 extends through the sleeve 92 and through the cams 9393 to pivotally mount them on the connecting portion 91 of the bail 86. It will be observed that the cams 93-33 are so shaped that, when they are rotated about the axis of the pin 95 with the bail 86 in the position shown in FIGURE 3, the closure cap 69 is engaged thereby and is forced to the left into sealing engagement with the gum rubber gasket 68.

The rotation of the cams 9393 to and from the operative position is accomplished by a handle 96. One end 97 of the handle 96 is interposed between the cams 9393 and is secured thereto. The other end 98 of the handle 96 extends along the arm 88. In order to provide additional means for preventing unauthorized use of the handle 96 registering openings 99 and 100 are provided in the arm 88 and in the end 98 for receiving a bolt or lock as may be desired.

Since certain further changes can be made in the foregoing construction and different embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter shown in the accompanying drawings and described hereinbefore shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, closure means for the opening of a hopper having a vacuum chamber for handling finely divided lading comprising:

(a) a cylindrical elongated nozzle section at one end of the vacuum chamber for receiving endwise thereof a suction hose,

(b) a cylindrical closure cap telescoped over said hose receiving nozzle section to close 011 the same and protect the surface thereof to be overlaid by the suction hose from contamination,

(c) a radial flange on said nozzle section adjacent the open end of said closure cap,

(d) a resilient gasket between said radial flange and the juxtaposed end of said closure cap,

(e) pivot pins secured to and extending outwardly from diametrically outer sides of said nozzle section on the side of said radial flange away from said closure cap,

(f) a bail in the form of a on piece yoke including parallel arms rotatably mounted at one end on said pivot pins and extending along said nozzle section and joined at the other end by a rigid uninterrupted connecting portion spaced from the closed end of said closure cap in its closed position, and

(g) a pair of cams rotatably mounted on opposite sides of said connecting portion of said bail on the side thereof away from said closur cap to swing on an axle normal to a plane containing the axis of i swinging movement of said bail for engaging said closed end of said closure cap and retaining it in closed position and in tightly fitting relation to said resilient gasket.

2. The invention, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cams are apertured for receiving a sealing pin on the side of the connection portion of the bail facing the closure cap to prevent rotation of said cams away from operative engagement with the closed end of said closure cap.

3. The invention, as set forth in claim 1, wherein a handle is secured at one end to the cams therebetween and extends therefrom in spaced relation to the connection portion of the bail and thence in overlying relation to one of the arms thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 289,374 Barter Dec. 4, 1883 1,450,687 Kunin Apr. 3, 1923 1,587,581 Frautz June 8, 1926 1,588,862 Walker June 15, 1926 1,671,287 Hoeser May 29, 1928 1,973,228 Schott Sept. 11, 1934 2,000,831 Fetter May 7, 1935 2,303,810 Anderson Dec. 1, 1942 2,418,302 Hornbrook Apr. 1, 1947 2,508,597 Dalrymple May 23, 1950 2,617,446 Williamson Nov. 11, 1952 2,646,076 Bonander July 21, 1953 2,745,563 Dath May 15, 1956 2,919,158 Aller Dec. 29, 1959 2,926,962 Dorey Mar. 1, 1960 2,926,963 Dorey Mar. 1, 1960 2,950,143 Koranda Aug. 23, 1960 2,950,144 Dorey Aug. 23, 1960 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,090,519 May 21, 1963 Clarence J. Koranda et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 22, begining with The construction shown strike out all to and including "the sealing band." in line 40, same column 2.

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of December 1963.

(SEAL) Attest: EDWIN L. REYNOLDS ERNEST W. SWIDER Attcsting Officer Actlng Commissioner of Patents 

1. IN COMBINATION, CLOSURE MEANS FOR THE OPENING OF A HOPPER HAVING A VACUUM CHAMBER FOR HANDLING FINELY DIVIDED LADING COMPRISING: (A) A CYLINDRICAL ELONGATED NOZZLE SECTION AT ONE END OF THE VACUUM CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING ENDWISE THEREOF A SUCTION HOSE, (B) A CYLINDRICAL CLOSURE CAP TELESCOPED OVER SAID HOSE RECEIVING NOZZLE SECTION TO CLOSE OFF THE SAME AND PROTECT THE SURFACE THEREOF TO BE OVERLAID BY THE SUCTION HOSE FROM CONTAMINATION, (C) A RADIAL FLANGE ON SAID NOZZLE SECTION ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF SAID CLOSURE CAP, (D) A RESILIENT GASKET BETWEEN SAID RADIAL FLANGE AND THE JUXTAPOSED END OF SAID CLOSURE CAP, (E) PIVOT PINS SECURED TO AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM DIAMETRICALLY OUTER SIDES OF SAID NOZZLE SECTION ON THE SIDE OF SAID RADIAL FLANGE AWAY FROM SAID CLOSURE CAP, (F) A BAIL IN THE FORM OF A ONE PIECE YOKE INCLUDING PARALLEL ARMS ROTATABLY MOUNTED AT ONE END ON SAID PIVOT PINS AND EXTENDING ALONG SAID NOZZLE SECTION AND JOINED AT THE OTHER END BY A RIGID UNINTERRUPTED CONNECTING PORTION SPACED FROM THE CLOSED END OF SAID CLOSURE CAP IN ITS CLOSED POSITION, AND (G) A PAIR OF CAMS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CONNECTING PORTION OF SAID BAIL ON THE SIDE THEREOF AWAY FROM SAID CLOSURE CAP TO SWING ON AN AXLE NORMAL TO A PLANE CONTAINING THE AXIS OF SWINGING MOVEMENT OF SAID BAIL FOR ENGAGING SAID CLOSED END OF SAID CLOSURE CAP AND RETAINING IT IN CLOSED POSITION AND IN TIGHTLY FITTING RELATION TO SAID RESILIENT GASKET. 